The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phlox plant, botanically of hybrid origin and known as Phlox ‘Forever Pink’ and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Forever Pink’. The new cultivar represents a new herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
The new invention arose from an ongoing controlled breeding program by the Inventors in Glencoe, Ill. The objectives of the breeding program are to develop interspecific hybrids of the genus Phlox that are well adapted to the climate and soils of the upper Midwest region of the United States.
‘Forever Pink’ was derived from a cross made in June of 2007 under controlled conditions (that excluded natural pollinators) between an unnamed plant of Phlox glaberrima ssp. triflora as the female parent and Phlox ‘Bill Baker’ (not patented) as the male parent. The resulting seedlings were planted for evaluation in 2008. ‘Forever Pink’ was selected in June of 2009 as a single unique plant amongst the resulting seedlings.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by stem cuttings by one of the Inventors in October of 2009 in Glencoe, Ill. Propagation by stem cuttings has determined that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.